As Much As Things Change
by Jamie11
Summary: Important Author's Note - Please Read
1. Six Degrees of Separation

A/N - I've read oodles and oodles of future fiction, wherein Dean, Tristan, or Jess runs into Rory after so many years, and they're still in love with her and want to win her over, blah, blah, blah. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy those stories, but it's kind of bugged me that no one (that I've come across) has explored this possibility:  
  
In the future, Rory encounters one of the boys from her past; a boy Rory could never forget. Unfortunately, he doesn't remember her at all, and it's on HER to make HIM remember and fall in love with her all over again.Sound interesting to anyone else?  
  
This first chapter will be a sort of prologue, to help get the story rolling, so it may be fairly long - gotta get everyone back to Connecticut! This chapter is also split up into parts; I'm not sure if the following chapters will be or not, so let me know if the breaks bother you or anything.  
  
To clear up a few things (and to give myself an idea of where/when I am):  
  
1. Rory graduated Yale with highest honors (I've forgotten the Latin term, silly me), and is now a reporter for the L.A. Times. 2. Mia (owner of the Independence Inn) passed away, leaving the Inn to Lorelai. Lorelai is still single. 3. Chris married Sherry, and faded from the Girls' lives. (In other words, he's not in this story.) 4. Luke is still.Luke. He never did get up the courage to ask Lorelai out, and if I have anything to say about it, he never will. 5. Sookie started her own catering company after Mia left the Inn to Lorelai. She still caters all functions held at the Inn. 6. Richard passed away about 6 months after Rory's college graduation. Afterwards, Emily and Lorelai reconciled their differences, and now share a close friendship. Emily assists Lorelai in planning the various functions at the Inn. (Can you imagine the two of them ganging up on someone? SCARY!!) 7. Lane found herself, and won her freedom from her mother - she is now working as a special ed teacher in St. Louis, Missouri, after having obtained degrees in education and musical therapy from Avila University, in Kansas City, Missouri. 8. Jess disappeared back to New York shortly after his high school graduation - he sends Luke the occasional post card, but that's it. He is a book critic for the New York Times, and has written his first novel. Sadly enough, every publishing company he submitted it to has rejected it. 9. Dean went back to Chicago, where he is now a master mechanic. He just went through a very messy divorce, wherein he lost everything to his ex-wife. 10. Tristan decided to stay in the military, and attended West Point. He is now a captain, stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. 11. Paris is now the most-feared professor at Chilton. .  
  
This story takes place in 2017, about 10 years after college graduation. Everything that happens on the show, both past and future, happened in this story. But, there aren't any spoilers, cuz the point of the story is the future, not the past.  
  
Because fanfiction.net is being a pain in mon derrier, I'm having to post this as a word document, and thus lose all formatting. Therefore, "words in quotes" are someone's speech, ~this is someone's thoughts~.  
  
AS MUCH AS THINGS CHANGE  
  
Chapter 1 - Six Degrees of Separation  
  
Part 1 - Rory  
  
"Honestly, Rory, I don't think we've seen you since you took that job. And I still don't understand why you would want to work somewhere so far away from your family."  
  
"Grandma, I've already explained why I took the job. It was the best offer, and I'm moving up very quickly. I know I haven't seen you guys, but I really haven't had a whole lot of opportunity to take a vacation."  
  
"Why not now?"  
  
"Well, because." Rory fell silent. She really couldn't think of a reason she couldn't take a vacation now. After six years without a single sick or vacation day used, she had nearly two months available to her. "You know what, Grandma, you're right. I'll make the arrangements tomorrow, and I'll call Mom to let her know when to expect me."  
  
"Wonderful! I can't wait to tell your mother the good news."  
  
"Is she around? Maybe I could tell her myself."  
  
"Oh dear! Rory, I would put her on the phone, but Sookie seems to have decided to change the planned courses again, and the banquet is only four hours away. I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut this short."  
  
"That's okay, Grandma.I'll call as soon as I know what's going on with this vacation idea."  
  
"We'll be waiting to hear from you." Emily hung up the phone without so much as a goodbye.  
  
"As much as things change, some things will always stay the same." Rory murmured as she tossed her own phone towards her sofa, and turned her attention back to the article she had been researching.  
  
Part 2 - Lane  
  
"You're going home? Wow.that's so cool; does your flight stop over here?" Lane asked, as she glanced back towards the progress reports she had been working on when the phone rang.  
  
"Yep - that's the only lay over. I went ahead and booked a seat on a different flight to Hartford 4 hours after I arrive in St. Louis, so if you meet me at the airport, we can hang out."  
  
"How about I do you one better? I've got vacation time coming, too, so I'll just go to Stars Hollow with you. I haven't been home in ages!"  
  
"Hey, that'd be great. It'd be just like old times."  
  
"Not quite.I won't have to sneak out my bedroom window to hang out with you guys."  
  
"This is true. Is she still on about you marrying a Korean doctor?"  
  
Lane groaned. "Unfortunately. I don't think she'll ever get off that kick. On the plus side, however, she's on it in a different time zone."  
  
The two women chatted for another forty-five minutes or so. Lane cradled the phone, then immediately picked it up again.  
  
"Hello?" A male voice answered.  
  
"Rick? Lane Kim."  
  
"Hello, Lane. What's up?"  
  
"Not much.listen; I have some vacation time available, so I was wondering if it would be a problem if I took the next 2 weeks off, starting Monday."  
  
"Monday? That's the.20th? I don't see a problem with that.no one else is scheduled off, and Mary returns from maternity leave on Friday."  
  
"Great! Thanks."  
  
Hanging up the phone once more, she turned to her computer, and booked herself on the same flight as Rory, as the words to a song floated through her head. "Cuz I'm leaving on a jet plane, I don't know when I'll be back again."  
  
Part 3 - Jess  
  
He stopped typing with an irritated sigh, and hit the speaker button on the annoying telephone. ~Damn Alexander Graham Bell~. "Jess Mariano."  
  
"Jess. It's Luke."  
  
Jess rolled his eyes, and began typing again. "Hey."  
  
"Listen, uh."  
  
"I'm listening, but there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of talking."  
  
"Do you think you could come down here for a couple of days, and give me a hand with the diner?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Well, uh.I, uh.I kinda.I broke my leg in three places, and am not supposed to walk."  
  
Jess raised an eyebrow. "How'd you break your leg?"  
  
"Fell off a roof."  
  
"Let me guess.Lorelai's roof."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Why were you on her roof? Better view of her bedroom window than from the street?"  
  
"You know what, forget I asked. I'll get someone else."  
  
"Chill out. I'll do it."  
  
"You will?" Luke sounded surprised.  
  
"I said yes, didn't I? Give me a day or two to take care of some stuff up here, then I'll come down."  
  
"Great. Thanks."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"So, uh.I'll see you in a few days."  
  
"Yep. Bye."  
  
"Bye."  
  
Jess pushed the button again, finished up his latest review, and shut down the computer. With a sigh, he stood, and headed out of his cubicle, steeling himself to face his boss, or Marie Antoinette, as the woman was not so affectionately known.  
  
Two days later, he boarded a bus bound towards Stars Hollow, and a past he'd forgotten fairly well.  
  
Part 4 - Dean  
  
He threw the last suitcase into his truck, and glanced back at his former house. She was standing in the doorway, arms crossed, staring him down.  
  
"Is that everything?" She asked icily.  
  
"Yes, that's everything." He replied resignedly. "Listen, Carla."  
  
"If that's everything, why are you still here?"  
  
Dean shrugged. "I'll be staying with my folks in Connecticut. I already gave your attorney the address.just send the divorce papers there."  
  
"Don't worry, I intend to."  
  
He sighed. He knew that this was for the best.he and Carla had done nothing but fight for the better part of the past year. But, a part of him was screaming for him to stay, to attempt to work it out with her, and give their marriage another chance.  
  
The slamming of the door quickly silenced that part of him, and he felt his heart breaking for the last time. He stood in the driveway, looking up at the house, for another minute or so, before climbing into the truck. "Stars Hollow, here I come," he muttered to himself.  
  
Part 5 - Tristan  
  
Tristan entered his apartment as he wiped the sweat from his face. He could hear a bugle playing in the distance. He headed straight for the shower, ignoring the ringing phone. About half an hour later, he emerged again, and went towards his answering machine. ~That's odd.no message.guess whoever called will call back.~ He saw the stack of mail from the day before, and began sorting through it. ~Junk, junk, blah, blah, crap, DuGrey Corps. Quarterly report, blah blah blah.~ With an irritated sigh, he tossed the whole stack back onto the table, and flipped on CNN. He listened with half an ear as he fiddled around in the small kitchen, trying to come up with something for breakfast. The phone started ringing again.  
  
"DuGrey." He answered.  
  
"Tristan?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"This is your mother."  
  
"Good morning."  
  
"The same to you.how is it in.where are you?"  
  
Tristan rolled his eyes. "North Carolina, Mother. The same place I've been for the last two years." ~And people wonder why I never use my leave to visit my family.~ "Something tells me this isn't a social call, so why don't we skip the pleasantries, and get straight to the point?"  
  
"Alright. Your grandfather passed away yesterday."  
  
"And this has what to do with me?" ~Am I supposed to be upset the man's dead? I barely knew the exalted Judge DuGrey.~  
  
"Your presence is required before the will can be read."  
  
"Ah. So Daddy dearest can't collect his inheritance?"  
  
"If the will isn't read within thirty days of Janlan's death, DuGrey Corps becomes a public corporation, and the family fortune goes to charity. As you see, it is rather urgent you return to Hartford."  
  
Tristan sighed inwardly. ~How great would it be if I told her it was impossible? That I can't get leave? Ha! I'd love to see either of them actually have to work for a living!~  
  
The woman continued. "Of course, if you're unable to return, we can always go there."  
  
He cringed. "I'm sure that won't be necessary. I'll have to check with my C.O. to see if I can take furlough, but I doubt it will be a problem. You'll hear from me as soon as I know."  
  
"Thank you, Tristan. I knew you would understand."  
  
"As always, Mother, it's been a pleasure, but I must be going now."  
  
"Of course. I must be off, as well.there are arrangements to be made, after all."  
  
As he hung up, Tristan groaned. ~So much for a quiet two weeks on the base.looks like I'm going back to hell.~ He walked towards his bedroom, and upon "retrieving his suitcase from under the bed, he began packing.  
  
Part 6 - Paris  
  
She glared at the phone as it rang annoyingly. ~Dammit, I don't have time for this. Don't these people realize that while I might be a lowly teacher, I still work for a living? Key word: Work. Note to self: buy a phone with no ringer.~ "Hello?"  
  
"Paris, darling, how are you?"  
  
"Very busy. What do you want?"  
  
"That's no way to speak to your mother."  
  
"Fine. I won't then." Paris slammed down the phone, and turned back to the papers she was attempting to grade. It immediately rang again. "Argh!" She answered it again. "WHAT?"  
  
"Please try and stay civil for one moment, daughter dearest."  
  
"Fine. You have thirty seconds before I unplug the damn thing."  
  
"Janlan DuGrey passed away. The funeral is Saturday. Your presence is required."  
  
"Why, so you can show off your only offspring?"  
  
"Your position as the heir of the Gellar Foundation demands that you attend the funeral."  
  
"Fine, whatever, I'll be there. Goodbye." She once again slammed down the receiver, and carried out her threat of unplugging the phone.  
  
About fifteen minutes later, she leaned back in her chair. ~I hate the phone. I wish Alexander Graham Bell had stayed in Ireland, and that the Potato Famine had occurred 30 years earlier. I can't even begin to try and understand these half assed attempts at thesis papers. Honestly. When I was at Chilton, my writing skills were much better than the current standards. Even that one girl.what was her name? Tory? Even she had better writing skills than this. And she was from that one horse town, wasn't she? What was it, Sleepy Hollow? Janlan DuGrey died, huh? Hmm.I suppose Tristan will be at the funeral, if he's still alive. I haven't seen or heard from him since the night he botched our English assignment. I had to kiss Tory. Yuck. Tory? Doesn't sound right. Lory, maybe? Whatever. I doubt Tristan will be there; he hasn't attended any society functions since then. Then again.I haven't attended any since graduating Harvard. Thank god.all of those insufferable women pushing their sons at me for the sheer fact that I am a Gellar, which isn't enough of a credential to make any of those idiots at all interested in me. Though, it was alright for a while.I had Jamie. Wonder how his wife's doing? Mother made a point of telling me that she was pregnant.again. What is her name? Alice? Allison? Something like that. Hmm.alright, Gellar, enough daydreaming. These papers aren't going to grade themselves.~  
  
With a sigh, she leaned forward, and began to once again make angry red marks across the papers, pointing out where the members of her freshman literature class had erred.  
  
  
  
A/N - Okay, that's it for this chapter. Sorry the Paris portion was so short in comparison, but as she's already/still in Connecticut, there really wasn't a whole lot to work with. Yet.  
  
Also - I haven't decided any pairings yet. The only thing I know is that all of them are going to get together with someone at some point in this story. So, if you have suggestions on the pairings, let me know. There are only 2 that I'm completely opposed to and will not consider - Lorelai and Luke will not happen. They're not the focus of the story, so they are both going to stay single, and the Paris/Jess pairing doesn't make any sense to me whatsoever.they'd kill each other inside of 15 minutes. Anyway, I'm basing it on number of votes - ie, if the most people want this to be trory, paris/dean and lane/jess, that's what it'll be. Votes that don't include a pairing suggestion for ALL of them will not be counted. In other words, don't just say trory, or lit, or narco; there's 2 other girls who need a man, besides Rory! Also, I don't do slash, so keep the pairings guy-girl. The polls will stay open until further notice, so feel free to change your mind with later chapters.  
  
Once everyone gets to the same city, not just the same state, the chapters will get shorter, I promise. 


	2. Wanna Get Some Coffee?

A/N – WOW!!!!  That's all I've got to say.  22 reviews and 1 email on the first chapter!  Thank you all so much!  

To address a couple of things – The pairings are still undecided.  I'd like to keep them within these six characters, and not introduce anyone new, but if that's what you guys want, so be it.  (I mainly want to stick with these six, because I feel comfortable writing them.)  Feel free to vote again, or change your vote, and vote for any pairing you want (I've decided that ruling out Paris/Jess is really unfair).  I even got a Miss Patty pairing!  So pair off any character, and I'll try to work it into the story.

Also – someone raised the issue of how everyone forgot each other.  Here's how I see it…this story takes place 15 years in the future, with little to no contact between any of them, except Lane and Rory.  Can you remember the people you knew 15 years ago?  I can't, not really.  I mean, sure, I was only 6, but even still.  I can remember names and faces, and I vaguely remember the relationships I had with them, but beyond that, nothing.  

In other words, yes, the characters all have vague memories of each other, with a few specifics, i.e., Dean remembers Rory as having been his first girlfriend in Stars Hollow, but he doesn't really remember what attracted him to her.  Basically, everyone's starting over, fresh.  They're ripe for building new, adult relationships with each other, without the baggage and burden of memories from their teenage years.  But, don't worry…I'm going to try and keep their personalities the way they are/were on the show, with a few minor smudges here and there to make it all work.

Anyway, with all that said, here's the current pairings, based on votes.  (I would list the individual votes, but I think that might violate ff.net's rules.  If you want to know what they are, leave your email addy in a review, and I'll send 'em to you.)  Rory/Tristan, Lane/Jess, Paris/Dean (Paris/Tristan actually got the most votes, and is the pairing I'd prefer to do, but more people like Rory/Tristan by a landslide, so that's what I'm going with for now), Luke/Lorelai, and Miss Patty/Jesus.  

And onward to Chapter Two of "As Much As Things Change"!

RECAP – Rory and Lane are both returning to Stars Hollow for a well-earned vacation.  Jess is coming back, to help Luke with the diner.  Dean has returned, to recover from a nasty divorce and a broken heart.  Tristan's presence is required at the reading of his grandfather's will, and so he too is coming back to Hartford.  Paris never left, and is teaching at Chilton.

WANNA GET SOME COFFEE?

PART ONE - RORY

Rory walked into the house and dropped her bags with an exaggerated sigh.  "It's so good to be home!  Hello, couch, hello table, hello Rabbi!"

"We missed you Rory."  Lorelai cooed in a high voice.

Rory gave her mother an I'm-so-glad-the-insanity-skipped-me look, picked up her bags, and carried them into her old bedroom.

Lorelai followed her daughter, and leaned against the bedroom doorframe, watching as the slender young woman unpacked.  "So…you and Lane are both home for awhile, Jess is back, and I hear Dean got in late last night."

Rory glanced back at her mother, then back towards her bags.  "So everybody decided to come home at once?"

"Looks that way.  Babette is going to propose a welcome home festival for the four of you at tonight's town meeting."

Rory grinned.  "That should be fun, if Luke doesn't have a coronary at the thought of yet another festival.  Speaking of Luke, I'm unpacked enough to get coffee."

"You are so my daughter.  Let's go!  But, it'll probably be Jess's coffee, not Luke's."

"That's okay…anything will be better than the toxic mud they served on the plane."  As she spoke, Rory grabbed a light sweater from a duffel bag, and walked towards the door.  She and Lorelai linked arms, and the two began the not-so-arduous trek to the diner.

PART TWO – LANE

Lane breezed into her mother's house.  "Mama!  I'm home!"

"By the chair!"

Lane looked around, noting at least ten chairs readily visible, but her mother was not by any of them.  "Which chair?"

"Here."  Mrs. Kim called again.

"How about I meet you in the kitchen?"

"All right." 

Both women headed towards the back of the store.

"Hi Mama."  Lane leaned over, and hugged her mother warmly.

"Hello, Lane."                                                                  

"It's good to see you again."

"Good to see you, too.  Sit."  Lane sat down obediently, while her mother fussed about the kitchen, preparing tea.  "You like it in St. Louis?"  

Lane nodded emphatically.  "I love it.  My job is great, and the kids are incredible."

Mrs. Kim handed Lane a teacup, and sat down across from her daughter.

"You work in a good Christian school?"

Lane shook her head.  "No, I work for one of the public school districts.  I could've worked for the Archdiocese, but the public schools offered more hours, a chance to work with more kids, and more money."

"I see.  Are you dating anyone?"

The two women continued talking for hours, catching up on the past several years.

PART THREE – TRISTAN AND PARIS

Tristan finally was able to excuse himself from the well-wishers, and slipped outside.  Leaning against the brick wall, he took out a cigarette, and lit it.  A few minutes later, he watched as a slender young woman exited the building, apparently seeking out the same solitude.  He took in her backside appreciatively as she stood a few feet in front of him, staring out at the parking lot.  He cleared his throat softly, watching as she jumped slightly.

She turned, apologizing.  "I'm sorry, I didn't realize anyone was out here."

He shook his head slightly, as he dropped his cigarette and brought his heel down on the glowing cherry.  "That's all right."

"So it gets to you, too, huh?"

He looked at her inquisitively.  "What's that?"

"All those people, crying over someone whose death they don't regret at all."

He chuckled lightly.  "What about the family?  Don't you think they regret it?"

She shrugged.  "Most likely not.  They're all too worried about the outcome of the will."

He nodded thoughtfully.  "Truth be told, I deeply regret the man's death."

"And why's that?  By the way, I'm Paris Gellar."  She thrust her hand at him.

He took the proffered hand, holding it rather than shaking it.  "Tristan DuGrey."

She raised her eyebrows slightly, and gave him a once over.  "It's good to see you again, Tristan.  How long has it been?"

"Since I was kicked out of Chilton?  Close to twenty years."

She smiled at him.  "As I recall, you weren't too fond of your grandfather."

He shrugged.  "I barely knew the man."

"So why is it that you regret his death so deeply?"

He gave her a tight-lipped smile.  "We should probably go back inside, before our respective families send out a search party."

She cocked her head at him.  "Alright."

Hours later, as the gathering was beginning to break up, Tristan sought out Paris.  "Hey."

"Hey."  She replied, as she pulled on her coat.

"I was thinking.  We should get together for coffee or something."

She looked at him, slightly surprised.  "That would be nice."

He pressed a slip of paper into her hand, leaned over, and kissed her cheek.  "Call me.  I'll be in Hartford for the next week or so." He murmured into her ear.

She nodded, closing her hand around the paper.  "I will.  See you later, Tristan."  She turned, and followed her mother towards the exit.

"See you."  He stood there for a few minutes, staring after her.  _Paris Gellar…you've grown up._

PART FOUR – JESS AND RORY

Jess stood at the counter, once again fixing the ancient toaster.  "Hey, Luke.  Have you ever considered replacing this thing?"

Luke shrugged.  "Why?"  

Jess slammed his screwdriver onto the counter.  "That's it.  As soon as Ceasar gets here, I'm gonna go get you a new toaster."

Luke looked up from the table he was wiping down.  "Why not pick up a new coffee pot while you're out?"

"What's wrong with the three you have?"

"Luuuukieeee!"  A high-pitched voice called from the doorway. "We need coffee!"

"Never mind."  Jess muttered, as he grabbed a coffee cup.  "Wait, we?"  He looked towards Lorelai, and was surprised to see two of them.  "Lorelai, have you cloned yourself?"

Rory chuckled.  "Hello to you too, Jess."

Jess grinned, and walked out from behind the counter.  Hugging Rory, he spoke.  "Hey, Rory, it's been too long."

She pulled away, and pretended to glare at him.  "Now whose fault is that?"  She teased. 

"Yours."  He responded flatly, as he walked back to the coffee pot.

Rory stared after him uncertainly, before turning to Luke.  "Luke, what have you done to yourself?"

Luke grunted.  "It's your mother's fault."

"Mom!  You broke the coffee man!"

"Hey, I wasn't even there when it happened."  Lorelai protested.

"When what happened?"  Rory persisted.

"I fell off the roof, okay?  I was replacing some of the shingles. I slipped, I fell, I rolled, I fell again, I landed."

"Oh.  Ouch."

"Doesn't hurt too bad."

Rory smiled at him, and slid into a booth. 

"My roof still isn't finished."  Lorelai whined.  Luke just glared in response; causing Lorelai to duck her head in embarrassment at her mistimed joke.

PART FIVE – DEAN AND LANE

Dean sat on his old bed, not wanting to unpack.  His parents had told him that he was welcome as long as he needed or wanted to stay, but he kept hoping that Carla would call, asking him to come back.  He sighed, stood, and stalked out of the room.  "Mom, Dad, I'm going for a walk."  He called out, not waiting for a response before slamming the front door behind him.

He thrust his hands deeply in his pockets as he wandered through the small town, occasionally kicking at imaginary pebbles. 

He didn't see anyone else out that night, which was just fine by him.  He vaguely recalled his parents telling him that there was a town meeting that night, which explained why Luke's was closed.

As he passed the gazebo, a voice startled him.  "Hey, Dean."  He stopped, and turned towards the sound.

Lane appeared out of the shadows, and walked up to him.   "I heard you were back in town, too."

"Hey, Lane.  How've you been?"

"Not bad."  The young woman shrugged.  "I won't ask how you've been, because I've been back for a full 12 hours, and thus, have heard all of the latest gossip.  I'm sorry."

Dean shrugged.  "It's…well, it's not okay, but it will be."

Lane nodded her understanding.  "So, are you back here for good, or just an R & R?"

"I haven't really decided yet.  Guess it depends on what all Carla gets from the divorce."

"Yeah."

"So."

"So."  Lane echoed, not really sure what to say next.  "Hey, you wanna get some coffee?"

"Where?  Luke's is closed."

"We could go to Hartford."

"Drive for half an hour just to get a cup of coffee?"

Lane looked down.  "Yeah, I guess you're right.  Well, see you around."

"Hey…what the hell?  Let's go."

Lane grinned back at him.  "Great.  You driving?"

"Sure.  C'mon."  Dean mustered a smile for his one-time friend, and turned back towards his house.

A/N – That's it for Chapter 2.  I'm still just amazed by the response to this story!  Apologies for the Jess part not really having a whole lot about Jess in it, but there will be more about him in the next chapter, I promise.   Keep the reviews (and votes) coming!!!!  Hehehehe (I know, I'm shameless…I was actually going to advertise some of my other stories, too, but if you want to read them, feel free to click on my name, and then read 'em!  Though, they're not all posted under this i.d.  But they are all GG fanfics!  Hehehe) 


	3. What Happened To Us?

A/N – Hmm…not so many reviews on Chapter 2 as on Chapter 1.  Oh well!  LOL

The final pairings are still undecided, but I'm going to play around with everyone kind've dating everyone, if that makes sense.  It'll help get me into the swing of writing each pairing, and it'll give you guys a taste of what each pairing would/will be like.

The current standings:  Rory/Tristan, Lane/Dean, Paris/Other, L/L, and Miss Patty/Jesus.

Brief Recap:  Everyone came home at the same time, for various reasons.  The Stars Hollow crowd, Rory, Dean, Lane, and Jess, all know that they're all back.  Paris and Tristan have encountered each other.  Neither Paris nor Tristan has encountered anyone from Stars Hollow.  

This chapter is picking up right where the last one left off.

WHAT HAPPENED TO US?

PART ONE – PARIS, TRISTAN, DEAN AND LANE

Paris sat back in her chair, staring at the phone number Tristan had hastily scrawled.  With a determined sigh, she picked up that loathed object, the phone, and punched in the numbers.

"Hello?"

"Tristan?"

"Yes."

"This is Paris Gellar."

"Oh, hey, Paris.  I didn't expect you to call so soon."

She shrugged, though he couldn't see her, and responded.  "No time like the present.  Did you still want to get coffee, or are you busy?"

"I'd love to…where?"

"Well, there's this place near Chilton that I stop at fairly often."

"Sounds great."  

The two quickly agreed to a time, and hung up.  Paris raced to her bedroom, running an inventory on her clothing through her mind.  She finally selected a pair of jeans and a sweater, and rapidly changed.  She washed her face, and pulled her long hair into a messy bun.  Satisfied with her appearance, she grabbed her car keys, and rushed out the door.

Ten minutes later, she sat at a booth in the coffee shop, already sipping an iced latte.  He appeared momentarily, and approached her.

"Hello, Paris.  I see you started without me."

"Sorry, I didn't think you'd mind.  Besides, I'm ready for a refill."

He grinned.  "Allow me."

She smiled back at him, relieved that the awkwardness she had feared had yet to rear its ugly head.

Tristan walked to the counter, ordered, and waited while the teenager fixed the coffees.  As he stood there, he glanced around the coffee shop, noting the other customers.  A couple just walking in caught his eye.  The woman was a pretty Asian, with short sleek hair and a wide grin.  The man towered over the woman, and seemed almost dour compared to the woman's perkiness.  Tristan unobtrusively watched the two, unable to shake the feeling that he knew them both.

"Sir, that'll be $7.50."  The teenager behind the counter caught his attention. 

"Oh, thanks."  Tristan paid the boy, and grabbed the two cups.  He turned, and narrowly avoided dumping the coffees onto the tall, dour man.  "Sorry 'bout that."

"Don't worry about it."  The other man muttered, not really looking at Tristan.

Tristan took a step away, and glanced back at the man.  "Hey, do I know you from somewhere?"

"Doubt it.  I just moved here from Chicago.  First time I've been in Connecticut in…10 years."

"Pretty much the same here…only North Carolina for me.  But, I swear, you and your girlfriend both look really familiar."

"I'm not his girlfriend.  You look familiar too, what's your name?"  The Asian interjected.

"Tristan DuGrey."

"Sounds familiar…I'm Lane Kim, and this is Dean Forester."

"Sounds familiar."  Tristan echoed.  "Hey, do you guys want to join us?"  He asked, waving one arm towards Paris.

Lane and Dean exchanged a glance.  "Sure, why not?"  Lane responded.

PART TWO – JESS AND RORY

Rory opened her eyes.  It was no use; she couldn't sleep.  Both her mother and grandmother had passed out a few hours ago, but Rory was wide awake. _It's probably the time difference…it might be 2:00 a.m. here, but it's only 10 p.m. back in L.A.  _She rolled out of her bed, landing on her feet with a muffled thump.  She grabbed a jacket, scribbled a quick note in case either of the two elder women woke up, and slipped out the front door.

She stood on the porch for a moment, breathing in the crisp Connecticut air.  _The air here is so much sweeter than in L.A.  Hehehe…I don't trust air I can't see…Crimson Tide…decent movie, with lots of room for mocking.  Maybe the next movie night can have a submarine theme.  Yeah…we can watch Crimson Tide, Hunt for Red October, U-571, and K-19!  It'll be fun comparing Sean Connery's fake Russian accent to Harrison Ford's fake Russian accent.  _

As she mused, she strolled through the darkened town, unconsciously avoiding the golden halos from the streetlights.  She realized with a start that she had arrived at the bridge, and felt an even bigger shock when she saw that she was no longer alone.  Jess sat there, his legs dangling over the side.  

Jess scribbled furiously in his notebook, unhindered by the lack of light.  He stopped writing abruptly, suddenly unsure of his thoughts.  He reached for a cigarette, and lit it.  Inhaling deeply, he looked down at what he had written so far, and began to critically edit the words.

"Jess."

He looked up.  "Rory."

"Want some company?"

Jess shrugged.  _What the hell, right?  Not like any amount of revising or editing is going to get my book published, so I might as well spend time with her instead of working on it._

"So what's up?"  Rory asked, as she sat down next to him.

He shrugged again.  _You ask that as though you actually care._

Rory was silent for a moment.  "How have you been?"

Jess looked at her out of the corner of his eye, then sighed, and tossed his cigarette into the water.  "Okay."

"Do you like being a book critic?"

He lay back on the bridge, using his arms as a pillow.  "It's not bad."

"How's your book coming along?"

"Fifteen."

"What?"

"Fourteen."

"What are you talking about?"

"Thirteen.  The number of questions you have left to ask before we hit twenty."

Rory stared at him, looking incredibly hurt.  "What happened to us, Jess?  We used to be so close."

"Things change."

"I know…but…"

"But what?"

"Why are you so cold towards me?  You haven't been like this towards me since we were seventeen, when I got back from Washington."

"You don't say."

"Jess.  Please."

"Alright, fine.  What happened to working for the Times?"

"What?"

"Senior year in college…you told me that you were going to be working for the Times.  I get there, and they've never heard of you.  A week later, I hear from Luke, who heard it from Lorelai, that you're in Los Angeles."

"Jess…I work for the L.A. Times…I never had any intention of working for the New York Times."

"Nice of you to tell me yourself."

"I _did_ tell you!  I told you I had accepted a job with the Times!"

"So now it's my fault, that I thought you meant the New York Times?"

"Well…it was an assumption on your part, and you know what they say about people who assume things."

"Or maybe it was an assumption on your part that I'd know what you were talking about.  And that's not the only thing."

"Then what else?"

"It's been ten years, Rory.  Did I miss all the letters you sent?  The phone calls?  Emails?"

"Gee, I don't know, Jess.  I sure don't recall receiving any smoke signals from you!"

"Why the hell would I write you?  You didn't even have the decency to tell me yourself that you were moving to the other side of the damn country!"

"Like you told me yourself that you were going back to New York."

"Totally different!"

"How?"

"Because you should have known I'd go back!  Everyone else in this goddamn town knew!!"

"Fine, you know what, I'm done!  Go on being childish and pissy, I really don't care anymore!"  Rory yelled as she stood up.  

Jess rose to his feet also, not noticing that the abrupt movement knocked his notebook off the bridge.  "Anymore?  You might want to rethink your choice of word, Miss Star Reporter.  After all, anymore implies that you cared once!"

"Big shocker there, I did care!  God, Jess!"  Rory was so angry at this point, she found herself fighting back tears.  "Whatever.  Like I said, I'm done.  See you around."  She brushed past him, and disappeared into the night.

Jess stared after her, struggling with mixed feelings of anger and regret.  "So did I, Rory…so did I," he whispered.  With a sigh, he bent to pick up his notebook, and discovered it was gone.  He glanced around, and finally spotted it in the water below.  "Dammit…just what I needed to make this night even better."  He shoved his hands in his pockets, and walked off, headed towards the diner.

A/N – Well, that's it for Chapter 3!  What'd you guys think?  I told you there would be more Jess in this chapter.


	4. Wow, Small World

A/N – I'm slightly concerned…there weren't many reviews on Chapters 2 or 3…are you guys losing interest in the story, or am I doing a bad job of writing it?

Pairings thus far:  Tristan/Rory – 14 votes; Dean/Lane – 10 votes; Paris/Jess – 6 votes; Luke/Lorelai – 4 votes; Patty/Jesus – 2 votes.  Tristan/Paris received 10 votes; so, I could go with a Tristan/Rory and Paris/Jess, or do a triangle between Rory, Paris, and Tristan, or ask you guys to do a tiebreaker.  Which do you want it to be?

I realized that I messed up on the timing in Chapter 3, so I'm doing this as a fix-it chapter.  This is a sub-chapter, focusing on the encounter between Dean, Lane, Paris and Tristan, and happens right after Part One of Chapter 3, but before Part Two of Chapter 3.  Neither Rory nor Jess is in this chapter.

WOW, SMALL WORLD

PART ONE – DEAN, LANE, PARIS, TRISTAN

Paris watched, slightly dismayed as Tristan, closely followed by a petite Asian woman and a tall man with floppy hair, approached the table.

"Here you are, Paris.  An iced latte."  Tristan handed her the cup, before sliding into the seat next to her.  "This is Lane Kim, and Dean Forester."  He indicated the two strangers as they took chairs across the table.

"Hi."  Paris greeted them coolly.

"So…" Tristan began.

"So…" Lane echoed with a grin.  "Here we are."

"So it appears."  Paris commented.

"Tristan, you said you just moved here from North Carolina?"

"Hmm, no."  Tristan replied, setting down his coffee.  "I'm stationed in North Carolina.  I'm in Hartford on leave."

"Military?  What branch?"

"Army."

"I see."

"What do you do?"

"I'm a special education teacher in St. Louis, Missouri."

"So you're a little far from home, too, huh?"

"Yes and no…Dean and I both grew up about half an hour away from here, in a town called Stars Hollow.  I'm home on vacation."

"Stars Hollow?  That's it!  That's where Lory lived!"  Paris suddenly joined the conversation between Tristan and Lane.

"Lory?  I don't know of any Lory…there's a Lorelai, and a Rory, though."  Lane responded, puzzled.

"RORY!  That's her name!"  Paris squealed, snapping her fingers.

"How do you know Rory?"  Dean asked.

"We went to school together, at Chilton.  You remember her, don't you, Tristan?"

"Rory?  Hmm…what'd she look like?"  Tristan questioned, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Wait, you went to Chilton, too?"  Dean asked, his face carefully neutral.

"For a while…up until I got shipped off to military school.  Did you go there?"

"No, but I dated Rory for a while.  I think I may have figured out where I know you from."

"And where's that?"

"You're the accountant.  You had a thing for her."

Tristan frowned, as he thought back.  "Wait a second…are you talking about Mary?"

"Mary?"  It was Dean's turn to be puzzled.

"Yeah – she started at Chilton kind of late…pretty, brown hair, blue eyes, always reading.  She was in our Romeo and Juliet group, Paris."

"That would be Rory."  Paris responded.

"So basically, we all know Rory?"  Lane summed up the conversation.  "Wow, small world."

"I'd say knew."  Paris replied.  "I haven't seen her since we graduated."

Tristan nodded in agreement.  "I haven't even thought about her in years.  I guess the last time I saw her was the night I got pulled out of Chilton."

"She's home, you know."  

"That's nice."  Paris commented, seeming to lose interest in the conversation.

At that moment, Tristan's cell phone began to ring.  "Excuse me, I'll be right back."  He stood, and walked out of the coffee shop.

Paris, Lane and Dean sat in silence until Tristan returned.  "I'm terribly sorry to cut this short, but I have to go."

Dean glanced at his watch.  "We should probably head home, too, Lane.  I didn't realize how late it had gotten."

The four stood, and, after tossing their cups into a trashcan, left the coffee shop.  

On the way out, Paris addressed Lane and Dean.  "You know, why don't the four of us get together again sometime?"

Lane nodded.  "There's supposed to be some kind of festival in Stars Hollow next weekend – you two should come check it out."

"Sounds good."  Tristan said.  "What do you think, Paris?"

"Could be fun.  I'll have to see if I can make it, though.  Finals are coming up, and I need to go over my exam."

"You're a teacher, too?"  Lane asked.

Paris nodded.  "Literature at Chilton."

"That's cool.  Well, it was nice meeting you both."

"Same here."  Tristan echoed, and the four parted ways.

A/N – Sorry it's short, but like I said, this chapter was mainly to fix my goof in Chapter 3.  I'm gonna start working on 5 now.


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